Method and system for rapid transcription

ABSTRACT

A method and system for producing and working with transcripts according to the invention eliminates the foregoing time inefficiencies. By dispersing a source recording to a transcription team in small segments, so that team members transcribe segments in parallel, a rapid transcription process delivers a fully edited transcript within minutes. Clients can view accurate, grammatically correct, proofread and fact-checked documents that shadow live proceedings by mere minutes. The rapid transcript includes time coding, speaker identification and summary. A viewer application allows a client to view a video recording side-by-side with a transcript. Clicking on a word in the transcript locates the corresponding recorded content; advancing a recording to a particular point locates and displays the corresponding spot in the transcript. The recording is viewed using common video features, and may be downloaded. The client can edit the transcript and insert comments. Any number of colleagues can view and edit simultaneously.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims benefit of U.S. provisional patent applicationSer. No. 60/940,197, filed May 25, 2007, the entirety of which isincorporated herein by this reference thereto.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The invention generally relates to transcription of spoke sourcematerial. More particularly the invention is directed to a method andsystem for rapid transcription.

2. Technical Background

Transcription is the rendering of the spoken word into written form.While this process goes back to the earliest examples of written poetryand narrative, this discussion will focus on the modern practice oftranscription in the various disciplines that have need of it.

Thomas Edison invented the phonograph for the purpose of recording andreproducing the human voice, using a tinfoil-covered cylinder, in 1877.When Edison listed ten uses for his invention, the top item was “Letterwriting and all kinds of dictation without the aid of a stenographer.”Prior to this, a reporter would have to rely on contemporary notes, andthe business world on secretaries trained to take shorthand and type upthe notes later. Edison's invention created the possibility thatsomething said in one location could later be transcribed elsewhere,with the additional benefit of repeated listening for greater accuracy.Since then, advances in the field of transcription have been closelytied to the development of recording technology.

By the 1930's, machines specifically designed for dictation and playbackhad become ubiquitous in American offices. Gradually cylinder-basedmachines gave way to tape, but until the 1990's the practice oftranscription still required the physical delivery of recorded mediafrom the location of recording to the location of transcription.

In the early 1990's, practitioners began to recognize and make use ofthe potential of the Internet and email in the practice oftranscription. Whereas previously a transcript needed to be printed anddelivered to a client, Internet email made it possible to simply attacha document in electronic form to an email message. Additionally, as taperecordings began to be replaced by digital media and businesses becamemore sophisticated in their use of the Internet, recordings destined fortranscription could be uploaded to a secure web site and then downloadedby the transcriber.

In spite of these technological advances that have greatly eased thereceipt and delivery of transcription materials, transcription of speechremains a cumbersome process that is of limited utility to clients forat least two reasons. The first reason is the amount of time required totranscribe speech into written form; the second has to do with theability of clients to coordinate the original speech with the completedtranscripts.

Transcription relies on the abilities of a trained professional tolisten carefully, understand what is being said, and accurately transferthe content and nuance to the written page. To do this well requires agreat deal of time. Digital recording and electronic communication haveaccelerated the transmission of recordings and delivery of transcripts,but a skilled transcriber still requires at least several hours totranscribe one hour of recorded speech. In this era of instantcommunication and an ever-accelerating need for information andmaterials, even this amount of time has begun to seem a roadblock totimely business interactions.

The second difficulty referred to above has to do with the difficulty ofreconciling a written transcription with its recorded source. Forexample, a documentary filmmaker may shoot twelve rolls of interviewsand have them transcribed in order to find the most useful footage. Eventhough the transcripts contain time-coding that is synchronized with therecordings, it can still be a cumbersome, time-consuming task for thefilmmaker to go back and locate the desired footage based on the writtentranscript. Often, this sort of project involves many hours of footagearriving from different sources in various locations, thus compoundingthe problem.

Accordingly, there exists a great need in the art to reduce or eliminatethe time inefficiencies imposed on clients by the labor-intensive natureof the conventional transcription process and the difficulty ofreconciling the transcript with the source.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A method and system for producing and working with transcripts accordingto the invention eliminates the foregoing time inefficiencies. Bydispersing a source recording to a transcription team in small segments,so that team members transcribe segments in parallel, a rapidtranscription process delivers a fully edited transcript within minutes.Clients can view accurate, grammatically correct, proofread andfact-checked documents that shadow live proceedings by mere minutes. Therapid transcript includes time coding, speaker identification andsummary. A viewer application allows a client to view a video recordingside-by-side with a transcript. Clicking on a word in the transcriptlocates the corresponding recorded content; advancing a recording to aparticular point locates and displays the corresponding spot in thetranscript. The recording is viewed using common video features, and maybe downloaded. The client can edit the transcript and insert comments.Any number of colleagues can view and edit simultaneously.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 provides a diagram of a machine in the exemplary form of acomputer system within which a set of instructions, for causing themachine to perform any one of the methodologies discussed herein below,may be executed;

FIG. 2 provides a schematic diagram of a method for rapid transcription;

FIG. 3 provides a schematic diagram of a network-based system forproducing and working with transcripts;

FIG. 4 shows a main page from the system of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 shows a matrix diagram illustrating workflow in a rapidtranscription process;

FIG. 6 shows a schematic diagram of the functional architecture of asystem for working with transcripts;

FIG. 7 provides a flow diagram of a sub-process for opening a project;

FIG. 8 provides a flow diagram of a sub-process for making a tagg;

FIG. 9 provides a flow diagram of a sub-process for navigating textthrough video; and

FIG. 10 provides a flow diagram of a sub-process for fine-tuning timestamps in a tagg.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

A method and system for producing and working with transcripts accordingto the invention eliminates the foregoing time inefficiencies. Bydispersing a source recording to a transcription team in small segments,so that team members transcribe segments in parallel, a rapidtranscription process delivers a fully edited transcript within minutes.Clients can view accurate, grammatically correct, proofread andfact-checked documents that shadow live proceedings by mere minutes. Therapid transcript includes time coding, speaker identification andsummary. A viewer application allows a client to view a video recordingside-by-side with a transcript. Clicking on a word in the transcriptlocates the corresponding recorded content; advancing a recording to aparticular point locates and displays the corresponding spot in thetranscript. The recording is viewed using common video features, and maybe downloaded. The client can edit the transcript and insert comments.Any number of colleagues can view and edit simultaneously.

Referring now to FIG. 1, shown is a diagrammatic representation of amachine in the exemplary form of a computer system 100 within which aset of instructions for causing the machine to perform any one of themethodologies discussed herein below may be executed. In alternativeembodiments, the machine may comprise a network router, a networkswitch, a network bridge, personal digital assistant (PDA), a cellulartelephone, a web appliance or any machine capable of executing asequence of instructions that specify actions to be taken by thatmachine.

The computer system 100 includes a processor 102, a main memory 104 anda static memory 106, which communicate with each other via a bus 108.The computer system 100 may further include a display unit 110, forexample, a liquid crystal display (LCD) or a cathode ray tube (CRT). Thecomputer system 100 also includes an alphanumeric input device 112, forexample, a keyboard; a cursor control device 114, for example, a mouse;a disk drive unit 116, a signal generation device 118, for example, aspeaker, and a network interface device 128.

The disk drive unit 116 includes a machine-readable medium 124 on whichis stored a set of executable instructions, i.e. software, 126 embodyingany one, or all, of the methodologies described herein below. Thesoftware 126 is also shown to reside, completely or at least partially,within the main memory 104 and/or within the processor 102. The software126 may further be transmitted or received over a network 130 by meansof a network interface device 128.

In contrast to the system 100 discussed above, a different embodiment ofthe invention uses logic circuitry instead of computer-executedinstructions to implement processing offers. Depending upon theparticular requirements of the application in the areas of speed,expense, tooling costs, and the like, this logic may be implemented byconstructing an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) havingthousands of tiny integrated transistors. Such an ASIC may beimplemented with CMOS (complimentary metal oxide semiconductor), TTL(transistor-transistor logic), VLSI (very large scale integration), oranother suitable construction. Other alternatives include a digitalsignal processing chip (DSP), discrete circuitry (such as resistors,capacitors, diodes, inductors, and transistors), field programmable gatearray (FPGA), programmable logic array (PLA), programmable logic device(PLD), and the like.

It is to be understood that embodiments of this invention may be used asor to support software programs executed upon some form of processingcore (such as the Central Processing Unit of a computer) or otherwiseimplemented or realized upon or within a machine or computer readablemedium. A machine-readable medium includes any mechanism for storing ortransmitting information in a form readable by a machine, e.g. acomputer. For example, a machine readable medium includes read-onlymemory (ROM); random access memory (RAM); magnetic disk storage media;optical storage media; flash memory devices; electrical, optical,acoustical or other form of propagated signals, for example, carrierwaves, infrared signals, digital signals, etc.; or any other type ofmedia suitable for storing or transmitting information.

Turning now to FIG. 2, in overview, a method 100 for rapid transcriptionmay include at least one of the following steps:

Rapid Transcript:

-   -   acquire source material 102;    -   disperse source material in short segments to transcribers 104;    -   produce transcript from the transcribed segments 106;    -   edit, proofread and fact-check the transcript 108;

Synch:

-   -   synchronize the transcript to the source material 110; and    -   client accesses and interacts with the transcript via a        web-based viewer 112.

The rapid transcript process is used to create, within minutes, awritten transcript of taped or live proceedings. The transcript isposted, in incrementally updated segments, on a web page accessible onlyby the client. The client can read the text directly from the web page,as well as download recordings of the event and copies of the transcriptin a series of continually updated documents.

Rapid transcript is useful for creating written transcripts of thefollowing types of events:

-   -   financial conference calls:    -   basic conference calls;    -   interviews for television or documentary film production;    -   conventions and meetings;        -   keynotes;    -   breakout sessions;        -   panel discussion;    -   legal proceedings;        -   depositions;    -   hearings;        -   witness interviews and examinations;    -   transcription of broadcast for placement on internet;        -   candidate debates;        -   press conferences; and    -   previously recorded sessions requiring immediate transcription.

Rapid transcript employs a novel system configuration that allows aprovider to quickly disperse short segments, for example, one minute inlength, of a live event or recording to any number of transcribers. Thisallows each member of a team of transcribers to be simultaneouslyworking on a given segment of recorded material. Thus, if it takes asingle transcriber one hour to transcribe a fifteen-minute recording, ateam of five transcribers can have the entire segment transcribed,edited, and posted to a web site within twenty minutes. In the case of alive event, this means that participants in a meeting or on a conferencecall, for example, can be viewing an accurate, grammatically correct,proofread and fact-checked document that shadows the live proceedingsupon which it is based by mere minutes. This transcript includes timecoding, speaker identification, and a summary of important points. Thetranscript can be delivered via email or through a secure web page,giving clients easy access via computer or handheld device.

Referring now to FIG. 3, shown is a schematic diagram of a system 300for rapid transcribing. At a provider's location, an FTP (file transferprotocol) server 302 receives source material 304 in the form of audioinput from any source and encodes the source material into audio files,such as mp3 format or various other compressed media formats. Audio mayarrive via the Internet using VoiceOverIP (VOIP), various streamingmedia, or SHOUTCAST (AOL LLC Dulles, Va.) software. Audio may alsoarrive via landline telephone or cell phone connection.

The audio signal is converted into segments of predetermined,configurable length, one minute, for example, by a recording system 306,such as the VRS recording system (NCH SOFTWARE PTY. LTD., Canberra,Australia). Each audio segment may be saved to a source folder 308 witha filename that includes a unique alphanumeric code identifying theclient and project, followed by the year, month, day, hour, and minuteof the segment.

Any number of individual, password-protected folders 312, 314 isestablished on the FTP server for each transcriber and editor. Asynchronization module 310 copies the audio segments from the sourcefolder and pastes a copy of each one into each Transcriber's 312 andEditor's 314 FTP folder. In one embodiment, SYNCTOY (MICROSOFTCORPORATION, Redmond, Wash.) fills the role of synchronization module.When copying files from the source folder 308 to the transcriber andeditor folders 312, 314, using SYNCTOY'S ‘combine’ synchronizationmethod assures that files exist at both locations, while deleted andrenamed files are ignored. Using such a synchronization method ispreferred in this case because, as explained below, during theproduction process, as transcribers transcribe audio segments downloadedfrom the FTP server, the segments are deleted from transcriber's folder.The use of a synchronization method that ignores deleted files assuresthat system resources are not wasted copying files from the sourcefolder 308 unnecessarily.

The transcriber stations and Editor stations 324, 326 are typically, butnot necessarily, located off-site. A transcriber station 324 typicallyconstitutes a computational device programmed to enable transcription ofhuman speech. In one embodiment, the computational device is programmedwith transcribing software, such as EXPRESS SCRIBE (NCH SOFTWARE PTY.,LTD.). Additionally, the transcriber station 324 includes a transcriberoperating the computational device to transcribe downloaded segments.

An editor station 326 typically constitutes a computation deviceprogrammed to enable activities such as editing, proofreading andfact-checking. Additionally, the editor station includes an editor usingthe computational device to perform the activities of an editor.

In FIG. 3, the transcriber stations 324 and editor stations 326 aresurrounded by a dashed line for ease of representation to indicate thesimilarity of their status as clients to the web server 316 and the FTPserver 302. Double-headed arrows between the transcriber stations andeditor stations and the servers are included to illustrate thebidirectional data flow between the clients and the servers. The dashedline is not intended to indicate that the client, in the form oftranscriber stations 324 and/or editor stations 326 are disposed at thesame location, although they could be.

A web server 316 includes a front end 318 that manages authentication tothe main page 320—described in greater detail below. Whenever atranscriber arrives at the main page URL, the log-in action through a‘before_filter’ verifies a browser's session user ID against thosestored at the web server 316. If verification fails, the browser isredirected to a login page. If the browser authenticates successfully,the browser is redirected to the main page.

Preferably, a new, password-protected web page is created for each RapidTranscript project that may include: one or more main pages 320 for useby the Transcribers, one or more append pages 322, and one or moreClient pages 330 upon which the final edited transcript is posted.

FIG. 4 shows an exemplary main page 400. As shown in FIG. 4, the mainpage 400 includes an alternating sequence of time stamps and buttons 406and buttons 404. The main page 400 is refreshed at regular intervals,one minute, for example. As in FIG. 4, the initial time stamp in themain page preferably starts at 00:00:00. Each subsequent time stamp inthe time stamp sequence is incremented by fixed interval, for example,one minute, until it the sequence reaches the duration of the recordedsource material. The time stamps are preferably displayed in HH:MM:SSformat. As shown, time stamps 406 alternate with buttons on the page.

Clicking one of the buttons redirects the browser to an append page 322that is associated with the time stamp above the button. An append pagecontains a text field and a text field ‘submit’ button. It is to benoted here that portions of an embodiment of the present applicationemploy a model-view-controller development framework, for example “Rubyon Rails”, wherein the “model” is understood to constitute a data model,the “view” constitutes a user interface and the “controller” constitutesthe application's control logic. However, other programming approachesand/or development frameworks can be employed to implement the systemherein described and are within the scope of claims. The text field‘submit’ button, when clicked, submits the text field input to an actionwhich then passes the input to a model, which, in turn, adds the inputto a data structure, such as a table, which is associated with aparticular time stamp. Transcribers “claim” a segment for transcriptionby placing their initials in the field associated with a given audiosegment. In this way, a group of transcribers is able to spontaneouslyorganize itself for maximum efficiency.

For example, as shown in FIG. 4, the first two time stamps bear thetranscriber initials “NS”, and “AG”, respectively. Thus, those twosegments have been claimed by the transcribers identified by theinitials “NS” and “AG.” As above, the transcriber may claim a time stampby clicking the ‘append’ button for the time stamp, which navigates thetranscriber to the ‘append’ page 322 for the time stamp. Upon gainingaccess to the ‘append’ page, the transcriber may enter his/her initialsin the text field, and click the ‘submit’ button, whereupon thetranscriber's initials are entered into the data structure for the timestamp and subsequently displayed on the ‘append’ page. In oneembodiment, as shown in FIG. 4, the transcriber's initials appear abovethe ‘append’ button for the time stamp.

As previously described, recorded segments are written to thetranscriber folders 312 on the FTP server 302. In order to download therecorded segments to a transcribing station 324, the transcriber sets upan automated incoming FTP connection. The transcribing software on thetranscription station is then configured to authenticate and check fornew files in the transcriber's folder 312, at regular intervals of, forexample, one minute. As new files become available, they areautomatically downloaded to the transcription station 324. Whenever theclient station downloads new files over the FTP connection, thetranscriber can chose to transcribe a new audio file. In actualpractice, the transcriber transcribes only files that the transcriberhas claimed by means of the foregoing reservation process.

The transcriber looks for the claimed file among the downloaded audiofiles and transcribes the claimed file.

After finishing the transcription, the transcriber may then upload thetranscription by the previously described process for submitting input:he/she navigates to the main page 320, clicks the ‘append’ button 404for the particular time stamp. Clicking the ‘append’ button navigatesthe transcriber to the ‘append’ page 322 for the time stamp. Thetranscriber then pastes the transcript into the text submit box for thetime stamp, clicks the ‘submit’ button and the text of the transcript itsubmitted in the manner previously described. Subsequently, thetranscriber's browser is then navigated to the main page 320 to claimanother time stamp. In this way, a rough draft of the source material isproduced by a team of transcribers working in parallel.

It should be noted that the Rapid Transcript process can also make useof stenography or voice recognition software to produce this initialrough draft.

If a staff member is observing a live meeting involving multiplespeakers, she may also log-on to the main page 320, and take notesregarding the speaker ID directly on the web page. Transcribers canconsult this speaker ID log while transcribing.

The next step is to edit the individual segments into a single document.An editor logs on to the project website and copies transcribed textfrom one or more cells (text from more than one cell can be copied inone swath). The text is then pasted into a word processing program onthe Editor's computer. The editor listens to the audio segments andcross-references the transcribed material against the recorded segments.If the material at this point is ready for the client, the editoruploads the edited transcript to the Client web page. If the materialrequires additional fact-checking, the editor can upload the editedtranscript to a second website, where another reviews the material andchecks facts.

The Rapid Transcript Web Page

A client begins by logging on to the provider's password protectedwebsite. This brings the client to a dedicated web page containing alist of the client's projects. More will be said about the client pageherein below. Any number of people associated with a given project maybe logged on concurrently.

The web page created for the client consists of the transcript, withtime coding, side by side with a column containing a summary, ifrequested. Links to the one-minute audio or video segments are provided,as well as a link to a recording of the entire proceeding. As well asreading from the website, the client is able to download the transcriptin either PDF or word-processing file formats. The transcript can alsobe sent by email directly from this web page.

Translation

The rapid transcript method can be utilized in translation as well. Fora session that includes a translator, the client's web page typicallydisplays three main columns: transcription in the original language, thetranslator's words, and the provider's own expert translation.

Turning now to FIG. 5, shown is a matrix depicting an exemplary workflowfor the rapid transcript process. The timeline shown in FIG. 5 is merelyillustrative and is not intended to be limiting. The followingdescription proceeds by describing the role of each of the parties ateach point on the timeline.

Initially, before an event, a number of preparatory activities arecarried out, by the provider, the transcribers and the editors. Theprovider for example may perform any of:

-   -   Creating a web page for the transcribers and the editors;    -   Pre-populating the web page with individual segments that        correspond to the anticipated time and length of recording;    -   Specifying in the page the desired transcribing style and client        keywords;    -   Securing an audio feed and patching into the recording computer;        and    -   Setting up a backup recording computer.

Each of the transcribers and editors may also have a preparatory role.For example, each may need to configure his or her audio playbacksoftware to download recorded segments. Additionally, each transcriberclaims at least one segment. Finally, the client, in anticipation of theevent, may log onto a password protected web page. More will be saidabout the client's page below.

At minute 1, the provider records the first segment of the speech thatis to be transcribed. In one embodiment, the segment length is set atone minute. However, segment length is a configurable parameter andthus, the exemplary segment length of one minute is not intended to belimiting. It should be noticed that the segments are recorded with anoverlap in order to prevent loss of material. In one embodiment, theoverlap is configured to be five seconds in length.

At minute 2, the provider uploads segment 1 to the FTP site. Transcriber1 downloads segment 1 and begins transcribing it. The remainingtranscribers download subsequent segments as they become available. Theclient may, from their web site, review the audio of segment 1.

At minute 3, segment 2 is uploaded to the FTP site and transcriber 2begins transcription of segment 2.

At minute 4, the provider uploads segment 3 and transcribers 3 beginstranscribing segment 3.

At minute 5, the provider uploads segment 4 to the FTP site. Transcriber1 completes transcription of segment 1. Transcriber posts the transcriptto the web page in an appropriate cell and claims segment 6. Transcriber4 begins transcription of segment 4. Editor 1 begins proofreading ofsegment 1.

At minute 6, the provider uploads segment 5 to the FTP site andtranscriber 5 begins transcription of segment 5. Editor 1 completesproofreading of segment 1 and posts the proofread transcription to asecond web page.

At minute 7, the provider uploads segment 6 to the FTP site andtranscribers 1 begins transcription of segment 6. Transcriber 3 maycomplete transcribing of segment 3 and posts the transcript to the webpage in the appropriate cell. Transcriber 3 then claims segment 7.Editor 1 begins proofreading segment 3. Editor 2 fact-checks segment 1and posts to the client web page.

At minute 8, the provider uploads segment 7 to the FTP site. Transcriber2 may finish with segment 2 and post it to the web page in theappropriate cell, and then claim segment 8. Transcriber 3 may begintranscribing segment 7. Transcriber 4 may begin transcribing segment 4and posts it to the web page in the appropriate cell. Transcriber 4 thenmay claim segment 9. Editor 1 completes proofreading segment 3 and poststhe proofread transcript to the second web page. Editor 1 may then beginproofreading segment 2. The client may review the first installation ofthe transcript.

At minute 9, the provider uploads segment 8 to the FTP site. Transcriber2 may then begin transcription of segment 8. Editor 1 typicallycompletes segment 2 by this time and posts it to the second web page.Editor then proceeds to proofread segment 4. Editor 2 fact-checkssegment 3.

At minute 10, there may remain no further segments to upload.Transcriber 1 completes segment 6 and posts it to the web page in theappropriate cell. Transcriber 5 completes segment 5 and posts thetranscript to the web page in an appropriate cell. Editor 1 completesproofreading segment 4 and posts to the second web page. Editor 1 thenbegins proofreading segments 5 and 6. Editor 2 fact-checks segment 2 andposts segments 2 and 3 to the client web page.

At minute 11, Editor 1 completes proofreading segments 5 and 6. Editor 2begins and completed fact-checking segment 4. The second installation ofthe transcript is available to the client, containing segments 1-3.

At minute 12, Editor 2 begins and completes fact-checking segments 5 and6. The workflow proceeds in such fashion until all segments have beentranscribed, edited and fact-checked and reviewed by the client. Therapid transcript process may terminate, for example, approximately fiveminute after the end of a live event with the delivery of a completedtranscript. Additionally, the client may download the audio and/or videoof the entire event from the client's project web site. Additionally,the transcript may be downloaded as a word-processing or .PDF file, orsent via email.

As described above, the usefulness of a conventional transcript to theclient is limited because the transcript is not synchronized to thesource content. Therefore, the client must spend a great deal of timesearching through the transcript and the source material in order toreconcile them to each other. In order to eliminate this cumbersomechore, transcripts are synchronized to the source material.

Synch links a written transcript to its source material. In oneembodiment, the process of linking transcript and source materialfollows the rapid transcript process, either immediately or at someunspecified future time. In another embodiment, the synchronizationprocess can be applied to any conventional transcript produced fromaudio and/or video source material. A web page allows a client to view avideo recording, for example, side-by-side with a transcript of thevideo's audio content. In one embodiment, the client sees four mainitems on the screen: A video, a transcript, a list of projects, and a“tagg” table. A tagg is a memo of description created by the client thatdescribes the contents of a portion of the video. In this way, theclient is provided a means for reviewing and making decisions concerningaudio or video recording by means of a transcript which is linked to therecording. Multiple recordings can thus be categorized and referenced; aparticular phrase can be located in the written transcript andimmediately reviewed in the recording.

Each point in the recording is synchronized to the corresponding text inthe written transcript, so that clicking on a word in the transcriptautomatically locates the corresponding spot in the recording.Conversely, advancing a recording to a particular point automaticallylocates and displays the corresponding text in the transcript. Therecording can be viewed using common video viewing features (play, stop,skip forwards and backwards, play at various speeds, etc.), and may bedownloaded. The client can read and edit the written transcript, andinsert comments. Any number of colleagues can be using this service towork on a series of transcripts simultaneously.

To synchronize the source material with the transcript, the sourcematerial is generally converted to a media player file format, ifnecessary. One embodiment converts source videos to the QUICKTIME(APPLE, INC., Cupertino Calif.) video format. The ordinarily skilledpractitioner will also appreciate that the QUICKTIME application canalso play many other types of media files, such MPEG, MP3 and WAV. Thus,audio files can also be rendered in a format compatible with theQUICKTIME player.

As previously described, one or more transcribers create a transcript ofthe source material, typically using a word processing application suchas WORD (MICROSOFT CORPORATION). At the time the transcription iscreated, the transcriber(s) place(s) time code markers in thetranscript. If necessary, the transcript may be re-formatted using atext editor, such as TEXTPAD (HELIOS SOFTWARE SOLUTIONS, Longridge, UK).Using a media transcription application such as INQSCRIBE (INQUIRIUM,LLC, Chicago, Ill.) the media file is combined with information aboutthe embedded time codes in the transcript. The transcript is thenfurther formatted to convert into a table wherein the time codes and thewritten words in the transcript are associated with each other in aone-to-one relationship. In one embodiment, converting the transcript toa table is accomplished by using a spreadsheet application, such asEXCEL (MICROSOFT CORPORATION) to format the transcript into cellsconsisting of time codes and transcript words. Each cell from thespreadsheet file then becomes a field in the database table. The wordsof the transcript are associated to the appropriate segment of sourcecontent by means of the time codes. As described below, a projectincludes a database, wherein the transcript tables are stored. When theclient selects a project to view, as described below, the transcript isreconstituted by displaying the words stored in the database in thecorrect order.

As previously described in relation to the time code process, a web siteis created for each project. The project web site preferably includes atleast one password-protected client page 328 wherein the client is ableto view the transcript.

Log In

As above, a project is created, for example, in ‘RUBY ON RAILS.’ Asabove, the project is preferably password-protected. Authentication ispreferably managed by the development platform by components providedwithin the development platform, including an authentication databaseand controller. A client begins by logging on to the password-protectedweb site. This brings them to the client page, 328, a detailed view 602of which is shown in FIG. 6, which contains a list of their projects.Any number of people associated with a given project may be logged onconcurrently.

Main Interface

Having negotiated the authentication process, the client gains access tothe main interface. In one embodiment, the main interface includes oneor more of the following sections:

Project List 606;

Transcript 608;

Video 610; and

Tagg table 612.

After having logged in, the client's web browser calls a controller 604from ‘Ruby on Rails.’ The controller collects all the HTML items andtext items from the ‘Ruby on Rails’ model and from the ‘Ruby on Rails’view template. These text items are displayed in a pre-made template onthe client's browser. The template is specified by the HTML itemsmentioned above. The template specifies which text item goes to whichportion of the four portions of the main page 602 mentioned above. Thenthe main page is loaded.

Opening a Project

The client opens a project 700 by selecting a project from the list 606.This brings up the web page where, on one side of the screen, one canview a recording 610 and, on the other side, there is a correspondingwritten transcript 608. As described above, the transcript and video arelinked. That is to say, each point in the recording corresponds to aspecific place in the written transcript. Additionally, the project'stagg table is displayed 612. Whenever a client selects a projectdifferent from the current one being displayed, the web page replacesthese four elements with elements of the new project without the browserbeing reloaded. The replacement is done by a script that hides theelement that is being replaced and sets the new element's CSS (cascadingstyle sheets) ‘visibility’ attribute to “visible.” All projects areloaded. Their CSS ‘visibility’ attribute is, by default, set to“hidden.”

Navigating Video, Text, And Taggs

An embodiment enables the linking and coordination of the viewablerecording, the written transcript, and the various associated taggs.Each point in the recording corresponds to a specific place in thewritten transcript; if taggs have been created they are linked tospecific places in both the video and the written transcript. Theclient, then, has three options for navigating the material: clicking ona word in the transcript automatically locates the corresponding spot inthe recording; advancing a recording to a particular point automaticallylocates and displays the corresponding spot in the transcript; andclicking on a tagg will bring the user to the corresponding places inthe video and transcript, and display the contents of the tagg in adialogue box.

1. Navigating by Way of the Transcript

After the project is open, the client may click on any text in thetranscript. Clicking on a point in the in the transcript automaticallylocates the corresponding spot in the recording and plays the recordingfrom this spot forward. This occurs because an event called ST (SetTime) 704 in a JavaScript library 702 that passes the video ID and thetime stamp which are embedded in the text to the QUICKTIME player 710.The QUICKTIME player automatically issues a CB (Call Back) which carriesthe message whether or not the portion of video has been loaded. Whenthe very same JavaScript library 702 receives this message it eithernotifies the client through a CSS pop-up that the video is still beingdownloaded and cannot be played, or it plays the video, beginning at thespot indicated by the time stamp 706.

Additionally, advancing a recording to a particular point automaticallylocates and displays the corresponding spot in the transcript.

The client can view the recording using common video viewing features(play, stop, skip forwards and backwards, play at various speeds, and soon.

The client can also read and edit the written transcript. When theclient mouses over the written transcript, a transparent “balloon tip”reveals the time code in the corresponding recording. Depending on theclient's specifications, time codes may show the elapsed time of therecording, the day and time of the original recording, or the SMPTE(Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers) time code embeddedin the original recording.

The transcript may also be downloaded.

2. Navigating by Way of the Video

The client can drag the play bar in the QUICKTIME player to a desiredposition 900. The client then pushes a ‘Show Text’ button next to theQUICKTIME player. This calls a JavaScript function 902 which passes thecurrent playtime timestamp in the QUICKTIME player to a JavaScriptlibrary which then evaluates 904 (which converts hours/minutes/secondstimestamp to an integer timestamp) and finds the closest matching wordID 906 whose timestamp is the closest match to the current playtimetimestamp 902. This JavaScript function then highlights the text 908whose timestamp matches the word ID that was just found. This very sameJavaScript function passes that word ID and timestamp to a hidden formfor possible tagg creation 910. The browser displays and highlights thetext corresponding to the words spoken in the video 912.

3. Navigating by Using Taggs

As above, a tagg is a memo of description created by the client thatdescribes the contents of a portion of the video. By interacting withthe tagg table, the client is able to navigate through the video, in asimilar manner to that enabled by interacting with the transcript. Theclient may click on a tagg 714 whose URL calls an action ‘Show Text’ 716in the controller 604. The action then calls a plurality of functionsfrom the JavaScript library 702: ‘Replace Text’, 718 ‘Replace Video’718, ‘Start/Stop’ 718 and ‘Seek in Transcript’ 718:

-   -   ‘Replace Text’ and ‘Replace Video’ both use the CSS ‘visibility’        attribute to hide a current video and show the desired video;    -   ‘Start/Stop’ uses the default QUICKTIME API 710 (application        programming interface) to set the start time and the stop time        of the video. The video is then played immediately;    -   The ‘Seek in Transcript feature’ uses the default ‘Set Timeout’        JavaScript function and the ‘Focus’ function to center and        highlight the text 520 relating to this time stamp for five        seconds.        The video is replaced and played, and the text is centered and        highlighted.

Creating a Tagg

When the client finds a useful or interesting portion of the writtentranscript, he or she can create a tagg. Any number of taggs can becreated by various users in a single project and they can becross-referenced with multiple recordings and transcripts within aproject. Taggs are created by highlighting a desired portion of text.Once the text is highlighted, a dialogue box appears and the client maygive this tagg a title. Taggs may be of any length. A new tagg mayoverlap an existing segment. Additionally, a tagg may have a ‘name’attribute, which allows the client, or another party to assign a name tothe portion of the recorded source material that the Tagg applies to.

When a new tagg is defined by the client, the program automaticallyrecords details related to the tagg, including the author of thesegment; the date and time the segment was created; the originalrecording that correlates with the segment; and the beginning and endingtime codes of the segment.

MARKERS: Once a tagg has been defined, the written transcript includesvisual markers that identify the starting and ending points of the tagg.Markers are named according to the source recording. The opening markerof a segment is displayed in colored text, green for example; theclosing marker is displayed in a color distinct from that of the openingmarker, red for example.COMMENTS: Immediately upon defining a tagg, clients are prompted towrite a comment. The client may write a comment of any length relatingto a given tagg. Additionally, a client may add a comment to apreviously created tagg. Clients can also record comments about taggs inresponse to other clients' previously written remarks. This may serve asa forum for discussing materials.

When “mousing over” the beginning or ending markers, a balloon openswith comments and identifying information.

To create a tagg, the client highlights 800, using the mouse, a portionof the transcript. Highlighting the portion of the transcript triggers apair of JavaScript events 802:

-   -   ‘OnMouseDown’ passes a Word ID, transcript ID, and a timestamp        of the first word highlighted to a hidden html form 812; and    -   ‘OnMouseUp’ passes a Word ID, transcript ID, and a timestamp of        the last word highlighted to the hidden html form 812, which        triggers a third event called’ ‘FormPopUp’.

The ‘FormPopUp’ event utilizes the CSS ‘visibility’ attribute to unhidethe hidden form 812 mentioned above, so that the client is now able toenter desired descriptive information in this form. When he or she hasdone so, the client clicks a button which submits the form to a URLwhich triggers a ‘Create Tagg’ action in a ‘Ruby on Rail’s controller816. That action sends the parameters to the tagg model 818 in ‘Ruby onRails’, where a validation function is triggered that checks all theincoming data.

Table: All comments relating to any recording in a given project, alongwith their identifying details as described above, are stored in thetagg table 612. The tagg table may be viewed and edited online, ordownloaded for use in spreadsheet applications. Additionally, the taggtable, or any portion thereof, is separately exportable. In oneembodiment, at least the export version of the tagg table is written ina standardized markup language such as XML (eXtendible Markup Language)so that the tagg table is compatible with video editing programs such asFINAL CUT PRO (APPLE, INC.) or AVID (AVID TECHNOLOGY, INC. Tewkesbury,Mass.). In this way, taggs can be used to facilitate the processes ofvideo logging and editing.

The table may be sorted according to various criteria. For example, aclient may wish to view all of the material related to a particularspeaker, and next to see which videotapes this material is on. As such,this is a valuable tool for editing, as it allows people to organizematerial from various sources.

The table is linked to the transcripts. Clicking on an item in the tablewill bring to view the corresponding point in the transcript andrecording.

Taggs may be edited, removed from the table perhaps to be used later, orpermanently deleted.

A client may place (or remove) a star next to her favorite segments toassist in editing. Segments may be sorted by the criterion of stars.

If all data is validated, the model creates a new row 826 in the ‘MySQL’database table 822. The ‘Ruby on Rails controller’ 716 calls a built in‘Prototype’ JavaScript event which updates the client's browser with thenew data, without reloading the browser.

If not all data is validated, the model 818 calls the Ruby on Railscontroller 716 to send back to the client's browser an error message,which is displayed by setting the CSS ‘visibility’ attribute of theerror message HTML div tagg to “visible.”

Fine Tuning Time Stamps of a Tagg

The client clicks 1002 on a time stamp in the tagg table 612. Thistriggers an ‘OnClick’ JavaScript event that calls the inline htmlJavaScript function 1004 to replace this time stamp with an editablefield. This editable field contains four subfields, labeled Hour 1008,Minute 1006, Second 1010, and milliseconds or Frames 1012. The clientcan then manually input a number in one or more of these subfields. Theclient either hits “Enter” or “Escape” 1014.

Hitting ‘Enter’ or clicking anywhere on the browser submits theseparameters to an action 1016 in the ‘Ruby on Rails’ controller 716 thatpasses these parameters to a model 1020 in ‘Ruby on Rails’ which does avalidation of this data. If the date is validated, the model updates theentry in the MySQL database table 1028. The action 1016 also overridesthe original time code in tagg 1018 and sends these parameters back toanother action 1022 in the controller 722 which updates 1024 the tagg inthe tagg Table in the client's browser with reloading it.

Hitting ‘Escape’ triggers an ‘onkeypress’ JavaScript event whichtriggers a JavaScript function to cancel and remove the editable modeand hence leave the timestamp unmodified. The JavaScript function alsorestores the display mode 1014.

In the foregoing specification, the invention has been described withreference to specific exemplary embodiments thereof. It will, however,be evident that various modifications and changes may be made theretowithout departing from the broader spirit and scope of the invention asset forth in the appended claims. The specification and drawings are,accordingly, to be regarded in an illustrative sense rather than arestrictive sense.

1. A computer implemented method for rapidly producing and working withwritten transcripts of spoken source material comprising the steps of:receiving source material at a provider server; automatically dispersingsegments of said source material from a provider server to any of aplurality of transcribing stations; receiving at the provider server anedited, proof-read transcript of each segment dispersed; in real time,posting said transcripts to a client-accessible viewer as they arereceived at said provider server; producing from said transcripts asingle transcript of said source material, synchronized to said sourcematerial; and accessing said single transcript synchronized to saidsource material through said viewer, said viewer including elements bywhich said client interacts with and modifies said transcript.
 2. Themethod of claim 1, further comprising any of the steps of: receiving asegment at a transcribing station; at said transcribing stationreceiving said segment, preparing a transcript for the received segment;uploading said transcript to said provider server; and requestingdispersal of a further segment.
 3. The method of claim 1, furthercomprising any of the steps of: requesting automatic dispersal by anediting station from said provider server of transcripts of segments atpredetermined time intervals; downloading a transcript of a segment toan editing station; editing said transcript downloaded to said editingstation; and uploading said edited transcript to said provider server;proof-reading said transcript received at said editing station anduploading said proof-read transcript to said provider server; andfact-checking said transcript received at said editing station anduploading said fact-checked transcript to said provider server.
 4. Themethod of claim 1, wherein said source material comprises human speechand wherein the step of receiving source material at said providerserver comprises any of the steps of: receiving, in real time, atransmission of a speech signal from a live event at a remote location;receiving a streamed transmission of said source material via theInternet; receiving a recording of said source material in a media fileformat on a computer-readable medium; receiving transmission of arecording of said source material in a media file format via wirelesstelephone or land line.
 5. The method of claim 1, further comprising thesteps of: encoding said received source material into a compressed mediaformat; dividing said encoded received source material into segments ofa predetermined length; saving said segments as discrete files, eachdiscrete file bearing a filename that includes a unique alpha-numericcode that identifies client, project, date and time of the segment. 6.The method of claim 1, wherein said step of dispersing said segmentscomprises any of the steps of: providing at least one FTP (file transferprotocol) folder on said provider server for each transcribing stationand at least one editing station; copying a media file containing asegment of said received source material to the FTP folder for atranscribing station, wherein said transcribing station has requestedsaid segment in advance; copying a file containing a transcript of asegment to the FTP folder for an editing station; and automaticallydownloading said copied files by any of a transcribing station or anediting station.
 7. The method of claim 1, further comprising the stepsof: providing a plurality of password-protected pages for each project,said plurality of password-protected pages including: at least one pagefor use by transcribing stations; at least one page for use by editingstations; and at least one client page upon which the transcript isposted.
 8. The method of claim 7, wherein said at least one page for useby transcribing stations comprises at least one main page for eachproject, said main page including a listing of incremental time stampsfor said project and at least one ‘append’ button for each time stamp;wherein said at least one page for use by transcribing stations furthercomprises at least one ‘append’ page for each time stamp, each of saidat least one ‘append’ page including a text submit field and a submitbutton; and wherein a transcription station uses said at least one‘append’ page to claim a corresponding time stamp and to submit aninitial transcript for said time stamp.
 9. The method of claim 2,further comprising the step of: time-coding a transcription by atranscription station.
 10. The method of claim 3, wherein downloadingsaid transcript comprises the steps of: copying at least one transcriptfrom a main page for a project; and pasting said copied transcript intoa document on said editing station.
 11. The method of claim 3, whereinuploading said edited transcript to said provider server comprises thesteps of: copying said edited transcript into a text submit field in an‘append’ page at said provider server.
 12. The method of claim 1,wherein a transcribing station comprises a computational devicecommunicatively coupled to said provider server, said computationaldevice programmed to enable creation of said transcriptions, saidtranscribing station further comprising a transcriber operating saidcomputational device.
 13. The method of claim 1, wherein an editingstation comprises a computational device communicatively coupled to saidprovider server, said computational device programmed to enable editingof said transcriptions, said editing station further comprising aneditor operating said computational device.
 14. The method of claim 1,wherein the step of producing from said transcripts a single transcriptof said source material, synchronized to said source material comprisesthe steps of: combining said transcripts into a single, edited,fact-checked transcript; and associating time stamps in said sourcematerial to time codes in said transcript, said time codes inserted by atranscribing station.
 15. The method of claim 1, wherein said step ofaccessing said single transcript comprises one or more of the steps of:displaying a client project list in a viewer window; selecting a projectto view; displaying a source material player and synchronized transcriptfor a selected project in a single viewer window; navigating to aportion of said transcript by selecting a corresponding portion of saidsource material; navigating to a portion of said source material byselecting a corresponding portion of said transcript; said clientcreating comments regarding any of a portion of source material and aportion of said transcript; saving said comments to a tagg table;displaying said tagg table in said viewer window; navigating one or bothof said source material and said transcript by selecting a portion ofsaid tagg table; navigating said tagg table by selecting either aportion of said transcript or a portion of said source material.
 16. Acomputer medium encoded with instructions, which when executed by acomputational device performs a method for rapidly producing and workingwith written transcripts of speech, the method comprising the steps of:receiving source material at a provider server; automatically dispersingsegments of said source material from a provider server to any of aplurality of transcribing stations; receiving at the provider server anedited, proof-read transcript of each segment dispersed; in real time,posting said transcripts to a client-accessible viewer as they arereceived at said provider server; producing from said transcripts asingle transcript of said source material, synchronized to said sourcematerial; and accessing said single transcript synchronized to saidsource material through said viewer, said viewer including elements bywhich said client interacts with and modifies said transcription.
 17. Asystem for rapidly producing and working with written transcripts ofspoken source material comprising: means for receiving source materialat a provider server; means for automatically dispersing segments ofsaid source material from a provider server to any of a plurality oftranscribing stations; means for receiving at the provider server anedited, proof-read transcript of each segment dispersed; means for, inreal time, posting said transcripts to a client-accessible viewer asthey are received at said provider server; means for producing from saidtranscripts a single transcript of said source material, synchronized tosaid source material; and means for accessing said single transcriptsynchronized to said source material through said viewer, said viewerincluding elements by which said client interacts with and modifies saidtranscription.
 18. A system for rapidly producing and working withwritten transcripts of spoken source material comprising: at least oneprovider server; at least one transcriber station and at least oneediting station communicatively coupled to said at least one providerserver; at least one computational device controlled by a client of saidprovider communicatively coupled to said provider server; said providerserver including at least one module for receiving source material, atleast one module for dividing said source material into recordedsegments, at least one module for dispersing said segments; said atleast one transcribing station including at least one module fordownloading said segments, at least one module for transcribing saidsegments and at least one module for uploading transcriptions to saidprovider server; said at least one editing station including at leastone module for downloading transcriptions from said provider server andat least one module for uploading edited transcriptions to said providerserver; and an interactive user interface viewable by said client viasaid computational device by which said client views and works with atleast said transcript and said spoken source material, wherein saidtranscript is synchronized to said source material.
 18. (canceled) 19.The method of claim 31, further comprising any of the steps of:receiving a segment at a transcribing station; at said transcribingstation receiving said segment, preparing a transcript for the receivedsegment; uploading said transcript to said provider server; andrequesting dispersal of a further segment.
 20. The method of claim 31,further comprising the steps of: encoding said received source materialinto a compressed media format; dividing said encoded received sourcematerial into segments of a predetermined length; saving said segmentsas discrete files, each discrete file bearing a filename that includes aunique alpha-numeric code that identifies client, project, date and timeof the segment.
 21. The method of claim 31, further comprising the stepsof: providing a plurality of password-protected pages for each project,said plurality of password-protected pages including: at least one pagefor use by transcribing stations; at least one page for use by editingstations; and at least one client page upon which the transcript isposted.
 22. The method of claim 31, further comprising the step of:accessing said single transcript synchronized to said source materialthrough said viewer, said viewer including elements by which said clientinteracts with and modifies said transcript.
 23. A computer-implementedmethod of working with a transcript of spoken source material comprisingthe steps of: displaying a client project list in a viewer window;selecting a project to view; displaying a source material player andsynchronized transcript for a selected project in a single viewerwindow; using said transcript to navigate through said source material;using said source material to navigate through said transcript; andcreating and appending comments regarding either said source material orsaid transcript.
 24. The method of claim 23, wherein synchronizing saidsource material and said transcript comprises the steps of: assigningincremental time stamps to said source material; time-coding saidtranscripts to correspond to said source material; and associating saidtime codes to said time stamps by means of a table.
 25. The method ofclaim 23, further comprising the step of: displaying said project listalong side said source material and said transcript in said viewerwindow.
 26. The method of claim 23, wherein said step of using saidtranscript to navigate through said source material comprises navigatingto a portion of said source material by selecting a correspondingportion of said transcript.
 27. The method of claim 23, wherein saidstep of using said source material to navigate through said transcriptcomprises navigating to a portion of said transcript by selecting acorresponding portion of said source material.
 28. The method of claim23, wherein said step of creating and appending comments regardingeither said source material or said transcript comprises the steps of:creating comments regarding any of a portion of source material and aportion of said transcript; saving said comments to a tagg table;displaying said tagg table in said viewer window; navigating one or bothof said source material and said transcript by selecting a portion ofsaid tagg table; naming a relevant portion of said source material bymeans of a ‘name’ attribute in a tagg; navigating said tagg table byselecting either a portion of said transcript or a portion of saidsource material.
 29. The method of claim 23, further comprising the stepof exporting at least a portion of said tagg table to a softwareapplication in a standardized markup language.
 30. Acomputer-implemented method of synchronizing spoken source material anda transcript of said material comprising the steps of: automaticallyassigning incremental time stamps to said source material; assigningtime codes to portions of said transcript wherein said time codescorrespond to at least some of said time stamps; and associating saidtime codes to said time stamps by means of data structure.
 31. Acomputer-implemented method of rapidly producing a transcript of spokensource material comprising the steps of: receiving source material at aprovider server; automatically dispersing segments of said sourcematerial from a provider server to any of a plurality of transcribingstations; receiving at the provider server an edited, proof-readtranscript of each segment dispersed; in real time, posting saidtranscripts to a client-accessible viewer as they are received at saidprovider server; and producing from said transcripts a single transcriptof said source material, synchronized to said source material.